The chest muscles could be considered a defining part of strength anatomy. They are involved in actions such as squeezing a set of loppers to cut a tree branch and pushing a door open. They are also the primary muscles referenced when debating upper body strength (“How much can you bench, bro?”).
For body builders and those interested in general muscular aesthetics, the chest muscles are the defining part of muscle mass. Powerlifters rely on them for the bench press to score the greatest lift.
But these muscles are also incredibly important from a functional standpoint because they support the movement of the arms.
A number of studies examining perceived attractiveness found that a low waist-to-chest ratio was rated as the most attractive physical feature on males (
But gender-specific beauty standards aside, everyone can benefit from strengthening the chest muscles — whether your goal is to have sculpted pecs or simply to be able to play Twister with your kids on the living room floor.
There are three primary muscles that make up the chest:
- pectoralis major
- pectoralis minor
- serratus anterior
A lesser-known muscle in the chest is called the subclavius. It is a smaller accessory muscle primarily involved in respiration (breathing) (
“Muscle definition” is a challenging term. You may ask yourself, “What does that really mean?”
Well, muscles have to increase in size to be able to see their shape. This is called hypertrophy, and it involves progressively stressing the muscles past their resting state to induce growth. It occurs when the amount of protein used to build muscle exceeds the amount of protein breakdown that occurs (
However, you also need to decrease body fat to be able to see muscle definition. For people with breasts, it will likely be difficult to see much muscular definition in the chest.
Still, if muscle definition is your goal, you’ll need to work the chest muscles for hypertrophy but also decrease calories to see your muscles better. This will likely involve increasing calorie burn through aerobic exercise and managing your diet.
1. Incline push up
Equipment required: none
This is a good warmup to prepare the chest for work. Research has shown that a dynamic warmup is helpful in preventing injury prior to training. Lower resistance movements related to those you are about to perform prepares the muscles for work .
- Start with your hands on the wall or a countertop height surface. Walk your feet back so that your body makes roughly a 45 degree angle with the floor.
- Keep your body straight and your spine neutral, and lower your chest to the surface you’re leaning against.
- Pause for a moment, then return to the start position.
- Make sure the resistance feels light enough to complete up to 20 repetitions. If you need to make it easier, step closer to your hands; to make it harder, step farther away.
Equipment required: none
This is a good warmup to prepare the chest for work. Research has shown that a dynamic warmup is helpful in preventing injury prior to training. Lower resistance movements related to those you are about to perform prepares the muscles for work .
- Start with your hands on the wall or a countertop height surface. Walk your feet back so that your body makes roughly a 45 degree angle with the floor.
- Keep your body straight and your spine neutral, and lower your chest to the surface you’re leaning against.
- Pause for a moment, then return to the start position.
- Make sure the resistance feels light enough to complete up to 20 repetitions. If you need to make it easier, step closer to your hands; to make it harder, step farther away.
2. Flat bench press
Equipment required: barbell or dumbbells, flat bench
- Lie on your back on the bench with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Grasp the barbell, with your thumb wrapped around the barbell and palms facing toward your feet. Press your arms straight toward the ceiling to lift the weight off the rack.
- Move the weight over chest level.
- Bending your elbows down at a 45-degree angle, slowly lower the weight to your chest. Keep the bar approximately in line with your nipples.
- Pause for a moment, then press the weight back to the start position.
- Complete 3 sets of 8–12 repetitions.
Remember to keep your back flat and maintain good control of the weight. Also keep your neck neutral to avoid excessive strain. It’s recommended to enlist the help of a spotter to ensure safety in this exercise.
Equipment required: barbell or dumbbells, flat bench
- Lie on your back on the bench with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Grasp the barbell, with your thumb wrapped around the barbell and palms facing toward your feet. Press your arms straight toward the ceiling to lift the weight off the rack.
- Move the weight over chest level.
- Bending your elbows down at a 45-degree angle, slowly lower the weight to your chest. Keep the bar approximately in line with your nipples.
- Pause for a moment, then press the weight back to the start position.
- Complete 3 sets of 8–12 repetitions.
Remember to keep your back flat and maintain good control of the weight. Also keep your neck neutral to avoid excessive strain. It’s recommended to enlist the help of a spotter to ensure safety in this exercise.
3. Incline bench press
4. Decline bench press
5. Pushup
Equipment required: none
- Begin on your hands and knees, and step back into a high plank position. Your hands should be just wider than your shoulders, and your legs should be straight with your quads. Your hamstrings should be engaged and your spine neutral.
- Keeping your core tight, bend your elbows at a 45-degree angle to lower your chest toward the floor, maintaining a straight line from head to heel.
- Aim to go as low as you can without losing the support of your core or the alignment of your spine and pelvis.
- Press your chest away from the ground until your elbows are straight.
- Repeat, completing 8–12 repetitions. Do 3 sets.
If you wish to increase the challenge, you can do a decline pushup by placing your toes on an elevated surface such as a
For the diamond pushup, begin by performing 2–3 sets of 8–15 repetitions. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.
- Begin on all fours with your knees and toes flexed and in contact with the floor. Your hips should be over your knees. Your hands should be slightly narrower than your shoulders. Connect your thumbs and index fingers to create a diamond shape. Grip the ground with your hands, and rotate your shoulders outward to engage your lats.
- Straighten your legs to lift your knees off the ground so you end up in a pushup position. Your legs should be hip-width apart or together.
- Pretension your shoulders and hips while engaging your core. Squeeze your quads and glutes. Your chin should remain tucked, as if you were holding an egg under your chin. All repetitions should begin from this position.
- Pull your chest toward your hands by bending your elbows. Your shoulder blades should retract as you lower to the ground.
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Equipment required: none
- Begin on your hands and knees, and step back into a high plank position. Your hands should be just wider than your shoulders, and your legs should be straight with your quads. Your hamstrings should be engaged and your spine neutral.
- Keeping your core tight, bend your elbows at a 45-degree angle to lower your chest toward the floor, maintaining a straight line from head to heel.
- Aim to go as low as you can without losing the support of your core or the alignment of your spine and pelvis.
- Press your chest away from the ground until your elbows are straight.
- Repeat, completing 8–12 repetitions. Do 3 sets.
If you wish to increase the challenge, you can do a decline pushup by placing your toes on an elevated surface such as a
For the diamond pushup, begin by performing 2–3 sets of 8–15 repetitions. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.
- Begin on all fours with your knees and toes flexed and in contact with the floor. Your hips should be over your knees. Your hands should be slightly narrower than your shoulders. Connect your thumbs and index fingers to create a diamond shape. Grip the ground with your hands, and rotate your shoulders outward to engage your lats.
- Straighten your legs to lift your knees off the ground so you end up in a pushup position. Your legs should be hip-width apart or together.
- Pretension your shoulders and hips while engaging your core. Squeeze your quads and glutes. Your chin should remain tucked, as if you were holding an egg under your chin. All repetitions should begin from this position.
- Pull your chest toward your hands by bending your elbows. Your shoulder blades should retract as you lower to the ground.
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